Hi everyone, well I'd certainly like to talk about my own profile for applying in summer of 2010. I'd really appreciate any advice you all can give.
For any background info, my GF has been posting on this forum as well, her sn is Mixedfire and also posted questions before and relayed the info she got back to me. So far it's all been invaluable and cannot thank everyone that has contributed to her thread enough!
So here's my story.
GPA: 3.45
- The Backstory- I did transfer to another school after my sophomore year to be closer to my family. During the year of transition, my grades suffered immensely after getting a 3.75 my sophomore year in college. My grades rose slightly after my senior year, but I stayed for a 5th year to complete my degree. At that time, I had found out that I was suffering from anxiety disorder and OCD. After I got myself in treatment during fall of my 5th year, my grade trend rose to a 3.7 that semester and then a 4.0 the following spring. I also took classes after I graduated and still continue to take classes as an open university student, also getting a 4.0 while I've been an open university student.
After my graduation it came to my attention that my parents had kept from me that they had testing done on me as a child and found I had mild autism (aspbergers). They were concerned about my reaction if I found out, but a family friend (who graduated from UCSF) convinced my parents to tell me for sake of possibly talking about it for my applications. Given the situation I was in as a child, I do feel I have made incredibly progress over my life and really made leaps and bounds when I got the proper treatment going in dealing with my OCD and anxiety.
MCAT: I'm taking this in April, so much of my time has been invested in studying. Here is where most of my questions are related to, as I'm not sure what will get me in. I saw the extremely high MCAT scores I'd need to get into many of the schools, though my pre med advisor says that what I see in the MSAR tend to be overstatement of what a candidate would need.
Extracirriculars:
- 1 year as student athletic trainer
- Participated in speical honors program in sophomore year, working with global issues as a think tank, and assisted in fundraising by making speeches to send our honors class to South Africa for humanitarian missions.
- Also participated as a juvenille detention mentor in san franciscp for sophomore year, along as a counselor to juvenille inmates and also backed up their rehabilitation program listings and helped connect the specific rehab programs to the major detention center. Also spent 5 hours a week at the detention center with the inmates in group sessions.
- Helped found a fraternity junior year and served on first judicial committee, was a organizer in scholarship, pledge training, and philanthropy.
- Worked as clinical care extender in Los Angeles for 1 year as a senior.
- Worked at the USC medical school in research for the preventive medicine department in research, elevated to lead organizer in charge of control patient monitoring and also was a data technician for the research project. As a group the staff had a article published and continues to publish. Was there for 2 years.
- Currently working on another research project for scripps research in san diego, CA for the last year on immunosuppresant research.
THere are also other activities I did, but that would make the list pretty long...
Other Background information:
-Mexican background from both parents (father was first generation born, grew up working in migrant camps, mother immigrated from mexico and is a dual citizen), first male from mothers side of family to attend and graduate college.
-Also, do connections help when applying to medical schools? I do have a cousin that graduated from UCSF and family friends who graduated from there too, along with some other prominent doctors from other medical schools.
I know it's a long list, but really my questions are about the MCAT and about my background and back story, and how my profile would look.
Any information and advice is extremely appreciated and and criticism is also welcome (okay be constructive people)
THanks a lot!
-Strike
For any background info, my GF has been posting on this forum as well, her sn is Mixedfire and also posted questions before and relayed the info she got back to me. So far it's all been invaluable and cannot thank everyone that has contributed to her thread enough!
So here's my story.
GPA: 3.45
- The Backstory- I did transfer to another school after my sophomore year to be closer to my family. During the year of transition, my grades suffered immensely after getting a 3.75 my sophomore year in college. My grades rose slightly after my senior year, but I stayed for a 5th year to complete my degree. At that time, I had found out that I was suffering from anxiety disorder and OCD. After I got myself in treatment during fall of my 5th year, my grade trend rose to a 3.7 that semester and then a 4.0 the following spring. I also took classes after I graduated and still continue to take classes as an open university student, also getting a 4.0 while I've been an open university student.
After my graduation it came to my attention that my parents had kept from me that they had testing done on me as a child and found I had mild autism (aspbergers). They were concerned about my reaction if I found out, but a family friend (who graduated from UCSF) convinced my parents to tell me for sake of possibly talking about it for my applications. Given the situation I was in as a child, I do feel I have made incredibly progress over my life and really made leaps and bounds when I got the proper treatment going in dealing with my OCD and anxiety.
MCAT: I'm taking this in April, so much of my time has been invested in studying. Here is where most of my questions are related to, as I'm not sure what will get me in. I saw the extremely high MCAT scores I'd need to get into many of the schools, though my pre med advisor says that what I see in the MSAR tend to be overstatement of what a candidate would need.
Extracirriculars:
- 1 year as student athletic trainer
- Participated in speical honors program in sophomore year, working with global issues as a think tank, and assisted in fundraising by making speeches to send our honors class to South Africa for humanitarian missions.
- Also participated as a juvenille detention mentor in san franciscp for sophomore year, along as a counselor to juvenille inmates and also backed up their rehabilitation program listings and helped connect the specific rehab programs to the major detention center. Also spent 5 hours a week at the detention center with the inmates in group sessions.
- Helped found a fraternity junior year and served on first judicial committee, was a organizer in scholarship, pledge training, and philanthropy.
- Worked as clinical care extender in Los Angeles for 1 year as a senior.
- Worked at the USC medical school in research for the preventive medicine department in research, elevated to lead organizer in charge of control patient monitoring and also was a data technician for the research project. As a group the staff had a article published and continues to publish. Was there for 2 years.
- Currently working on another research project for scripps research in san diego, CA for the last year on immunosuppresant research.
THere are also other activities I did, but that would make the list pretty long...
Other Background information:
-Mexican background from both parents (father was first generation born, grew up working in migrant camps, mother immigrated from mexico and is a dual citizen), first male from mothers side of family to attend and graduate college.
-Also, do connections help when applying to medical schools? I do have a cousin that graduated from UCSF and family friends who graduated from there too, along with some other prominent doctors from other medical schools.
I know it's a long list, but really my questions are about the MCAT and about my background and back story, and how my profile would look.
Any information and advice is extremely appreciated and and criticism is also welcome (okay be constructive people)
THanks a lot!
-Strike
